Artisan pottery tools used at the Taroemon pottery in Kyushu, Japan (Photo: Giorgio Salani)
The resilience of functional handmade ceramic craft in the global ceramic market suggests there are qualities (e.g. throwing marks, rustic glazes) and values (e.g. ceramic traditions, regionalism) engendered in artisanal objects and not generally associated with mass-manufactured products.
In my research I aim to define qualities and values in contemporary artisanal tableware pottery and locate their origins in production processes. My contribution to craft theory will be a taxonomy of artisanal British and Japanese tableware pottery which captures the qualities and values engendered in the ceramic ware, and which can inform other craft and design studies. The taxonomy and other findings from the study will also inform measures for conservation of artisanal skills and methods.
Engagement with expert ceramic practitioners is key to the study. This will be conducted through video-ethnographical recordings of their processes and systematic testing of theories through interviews, peer reviews and my own ceramic practice.
As a London-based ceramicist with access to a network of artisans in the UK and Japan, I chose to extend my research to Japanese craft. This will help me challenge accepted categories of craft in the UK (e.g. ‘studio pottery’) by comparing processes and standards in the two countries, and develop a taxonomy applicable across these two cultural contexts.